Keep your dependencies in check

If Log4Shell, Spring4Shell, etc. have taught us anything, it’s that we need to keep our dependencies up to date. But updating our applications can take a lot of time. How do we stay on top of that, while also continuing to deliver business value?

Luckily, there are plenty of tools that can help us with this, from package managers to bots that can automatically create changes on our repositories. Let’s go over some of the different options, so we can make informed choices about what’s best for us in a particular situation.

Transcript

1. Keep your dependencies in check All Day DevOps on Tour: Malmö Edition - Nov 8, 2023 https://maritvandijk.com/ @MaritvanDijk77
2. @MaritvanDijk77
3. @MaritvanDijk77
4. @MaritvanDijk77
5. @MaritvanDijk77
6. Dec. 2021 @MaritvanDijk77
7. @MaritvanDijk77
8. @MaritvanDijk77
9. @MaritvanDijk77
10. March 2022 @MaritvanDijk77
11. @MaritvanDijk77
12. @MaritvanDijk77 Do we need this dependency? https://maritvandijk.com/selecting-dependencies/
13. @MaritvanDijk77 https://www.sonatype.com/resources/log4j-vulnerability-resource-center
14. No dependencies @MaritvanDijk77 Maintain dependencies
15. Maven • Overview of dependencies: `mvn dependency:tree` @MaritvanDijk77
16. Maven • Check for updates: `mvn versions:display-dependency-updates` @MaritvanDijk77
17. Maven • Check for updates: `mvn versions:display-dependency-updates` @MaritvanDijk77
18. Maven • Analyze dependencies: `mvn dependency:analyze` @MaritvanDijk77
19. Gradle • Overview of dependencies: `./gradlew dependencies` @MaritvanDijk77
20. Gradle • Check for updates: • Add plugin, e.g. gradle-versions-plugin • Run `./gradlew dependencyUpdates` @MaritvanDijk77 https://github.com/ben-manes/gradle-versions-plugin
21. Gradle • Analyze dependencies • Add plugin (e.g. nebula) @MaritvanDijk77 https://github.com/nebula-plugins/gradle-lint-plugin/wiki/Unused-Dependency-Rule
22. Gradle • Analyze dependencies • Add plugin (e.g. nebula) • Run `./gradlew fixGradleLint` @MaritvanDijk77 https://github.com/nebula-plugins/gradle-lint-plugin/wiki/Unused-Dependency-Rule
23. IntelliJ IDEA: View Dependencies @MaritvanDijk77
24. IntelliJ IDEA: View Dependencies @MaritvanDijk77
25. IntelliJ IDEA: View Dependencies @MaritvanDijk77
26. IntelliJ IDEA: View Dependencies @MaritvanDijk77 https://www.jetbrains.com/help/idea/maven-projects-tool-window.html
27. IntelliJ IDEA: View Dependencies @MaritvanDijk77 https://www.jetbrains.com/help/idea/jetgradle-tool-window.html
28. IntelliJ IDEA: Dependency Analyzer @MaritvanDijk77 https://www.jetbrains.com/help/idea/work-with-maven-dependencies.html#dependency_analyzer
29. IntelliJ IDEA: Dependency Analyzer @MaritvanDijk77 https://www.jetbrains.com/help/idea/work-with-maven-dependencies.html#dependency_analyzer
30. IntelliJ IDEA: Dependency Analyzer @MaritvanDijk77 https://www.jetbrains.com/help/idea/work-with-gradle-dependency-diagram.html#dependency_analyzer
31. IntelliJ IDEA: Dependency Analyzer @MaritvanDijk77 https://www.jetbrains.com/help/idea/work-with-gradle-dependency-diagram.html#dependency_analyzer
32. IntelliJ IDEA: Dependency Analyzer @MaritvanDijk77 https://www.jetbrains.com/help/idea/work-with-gradle-dependency-diagram.html#dependency_analyzer
33. IntelliJ IDEA: Dependency Analyzer @MaritvanDijk77 https://www.jetbrains.com/help/idea/work-with-gradle-dependency-diagram.html#dependency_analyzer
34. IntelliJ IDEA • Package Search: Add dependency @MaritvanDijk77 https://www.jetbrains.com/help/idea/package-search.html
35. IntelliJ IDEA • Package Search: Add dependency @MaritvanDijk77 https://www.jetbrains.com/help/idea/package-search.html
36. IntelliJ IDEA: Update dependencies • Context Actions (⌥ ⏎ or Alt+Enter) @MaritvanDijk77
37. IntelliJ IDEA: Update dependencies • Hover @MaritvanDijk77 https://www.jetbrains.com/help/idea/package-analysis.html
38. IntelliJ IDEA • Dependencies tool window @MaritvanDijk77 https://www.jetbrains.com/help/idea/package-search.html
39. IntelliJ IDEA • Dependencies tool window (search) @MaritvanDijk77 https://www.jetbrains.com/help/idea/package-search.html
40. IntelliJ IDEA https://www.jetbrains.com/help/idea/package-analysis.html @MaritvanDijk77
41. Pros & Cons + Check dependencies while working on the project - Check out each individual project - Apply & verify updates @MaritvanDijk77
42. Software Composition Analysis (SCA) • Scan all repos (and containers) • Overview @MaritvanDijk77
43. SCA: Pros & Cons + No need to check out repos individually - I have to check the dashboard - Apply & verify updates @MaritvanDijk77
44. @MaritvanDijk77 Bots • Dependabot • Renovate • Snyk Open Source
45. Features @MaritvanDijk77 Dependabot Renovate Snyk Open source Alerts Y Security Updates Y Y Y Version Updates Y (with extra config) Y Y Dashboard Y Y Check PRs for vulnerable dependencies Y Scan code for vulnerabilities Y
46. Options @MaritvanDijk77 Dependabot Renovate Snyk Open source Repos All All vs. selected only Public only vs. public & private (can disable for repo) Scheduling Daily / Weekly / Never Very detailed (presets, cron syntax, ..) Daily / Weekly / Never Info in PR Severity metrics Adoption rate % passing tests Confidence level Severity Breaking change Known Exploits Max. nr. of PRs Y (default 5) Y and concurrent branches New and/or known vulnerabilities Bundle updates in PR Y (with config) Y (by default) Rebase strategy Y Y TODO Rule-based automerge Y Check PRs Y
47. Platforms @MaritvanDijk77 Dependabot Renovate Snyk Open source GitHub native GitHub.com GitHub Enterprise Server GitHub GitHub Enterprise GitHub Read-only projects GitLab (with config) GitLab.com GitLab CE/EE GitLab Bitbucket Cloud Bitbucket Server Bitbucket Cloud Personal Access Token (Legacy) Bitbucket Cloud App Bitbucket Data Center/Server Azure DevOps Azure (TFS) Repos AWS CodeCommit Gitea and Forgejo
48. Dependabot security alerts @MaritvanDijk77 https://docs.github.com/en/code-security/dependabot/dependabot-security-updates/about-dependabot-security-updates
49. Dependabot security updates @MaritvanDijk77 https://docs.github.com/en/code-security/dependabot/dependabot-security-updates/about-dependabot-security-updates
50. Renovate PR @MaritvanDijk77 https://docs.renovatebot.com/merge-confidence/
51. Renovate Dashboard: Project @MaritvanDijk77
52. Snyk PR @MaritvanDijk77
53. Snyk dashboard @MaritvanDijk77
54. @MaritvanDijk77 Bots • Dependabot • Renovate • Snyk Open Source
55. Bots: Pros & Cons + Relatively easy to install + Automatic PR's - Can create "noise" - Manage PRs (merge & deploy) - Do NOT update your code (if needed) @MaritvanDijk77
56. Migration tools @MaritvanDijk77
57. IntelliJ IDEA • Refactor > Migrate Packages and Classes @MaritvanDijk77 https://www.jetbrains.com/help/idea/migrate.html
58. IntelliJ IDEA • Refactor > Migrate Packages and Classes > • Java EE to Jakarta EE • JUnit (4.x -> 5.0) • JavaFX (8 -> 9) @MaritvanDijk77 https://www.jetbrains.com/help/idea/migrate.html
59. IntelliJ IDEA • Create New Migration @MaritvanDijk77
60. IntelliJ IDEA • Create New Migration @MaritvanDijk77
61. Error Prone • Static analysis tool for Java to catch common programming mistakes at compile-time. • Maven, Gradle, etc. • IntelliJ IDEA / Eclipse plugin, Command line • Bug patterns • Report or fix • Custom checks • Includes Refaster: refactor code using before-and-after templates @MaritvanDijk77 https://errorprone.info/
62. Error Prone @MaritvanDijk77 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NPuLeoIzIR0
63. Error Prone Support @MaritvanDijk77 https://error-prone.picnic.tech/
64. OpenRewrite • Source code refactoring for framework/API migrations, vulnerability patches, and static code analysis fixes • Java, Kotlin & Groovy support • Maven/Gradle • Run without a build tool • Early support for Python, Typescript, ... @MaritvanDijk77 https://docs.openrewrite.org/
65. OpenRewrite • Existing recipes • Upgrade versions • Migrate libraries • Fix static analysis issues @MaritvanDijk77 https://docs.openrewrite.org/running-recipes/popular-recipe-guides
66. OpenRewrite • Existing recipes • Find by topic @MaritvanDijk77 https://docs.openrewrite.org/reference/recipes
67. OpenRewrite • Existing recipes • Can author your own recipes @MaritvanDijk77 https://docs.openrewrite.org/
68. OpenRewrite @MaritvanDijk77 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jOFfCAleUI8
69. Conclusion •(Re)evaluate dependencies carefully •Automate checks & updates •Stay safe! @MaritvanDijk77
70. Slides & More https://maritvandijk.com/presentations/keep-your-dependencies-in-check/ @MaritvanDijk77